lukach, scheiber, stempel, foster, palmquist

REVERSED

1700 Chemical & Materials Engineering
1735 Ex Parte Meier 11/578,875 GAUDETTE 103(a) CROWELL & MORING LLP EXAMINER SAAD, ERIN BARRY

1762 Ex Parte Chou et al 11/500,696 McKELVEY 102(e) ROHM AND HAAS COMPANY c/o The Dow Chemical Company EXAMINER ENG, ELIZABETH

3900 Central Reexamination Unit (CRU)
3404 Ex Parte 5611214 et al Ex parte BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE Patent Owner, Appellant 90/011,090 08/282,663 SONG 102(b) PAUL W. ZIMMERMAN K1 53 EXAMINER JASTRZAB, JEFFREY R original EXAMINER WAYNER, WILLIAM E

AFFIRMED

1700 Chemical & Materials Engineering
1722 Ex Parte Kitson et al 11/600,256 PER CURIAM 103(a) EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY EXAMINER WALKE, AMANDA C

1767 Ex Parte Knauer et al 12/052,982 McKELVEY 103(a) 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY EXAMINER STANLEY, JANE L

In re Lukach, 442 F.2d 967 (CCPA 1971) (to be entitled to § 120 benefit, subject matter claimed in later application must be described in parent in manner required by § 112); In re Scheiber, 587 F.2d 59, 62 (CCPA 1978) (to be entitled to benefit under § 120, claimed invention must be described in parent application; "Stempel" rationale does not apply to issues under § 120).

Lukach, In re, 442 F.2d 967, 169 USPQ 795 (CCPA 1971) . . . . . . . . .201.11, 2163, 2163.05

Scheiber, In re, 587 F.2d 59, 199 USPQ 782 (CCPA 1978) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201.11, 2163.03

Stempel, In re, 241 F.2d 755, 113 USPQ 77 (CCPA 1957) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 715.03
An applicant cannot “antedate” a statutory bar. In re Foster, 343 F.2d 980 (CCPA 1965), overruling In re Palmquist, 319 F.2d 547 (CCPA 1963) (the overruled Palmquist decision arguably supports 3M’s position on appeal).

Foster, In re, 343 F.2d 980, 145 USPQ 166 (CCPA 1965) . . . . . . . 2132.01, 2133, 2133.02, 2133.03(c)

1771 Ex Parte NULL 11/688,702 PER CURIAM 103(a) SHELL OIL COMPANY EXAMINER PO, MING CHEUNG

2100 Computer Architecture and Software
2197 Ex Parte Friedman et al 10/417,932 FRAHM 102(b)/103(a) HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY EXAMINER WANG, RONGFA PHILIP

warmerdam, foster, lowry, ngai, mathias,

REVERSED 

1700 Chemical & Materials Engineering 

Ex Parte Han et al 11158047 OWENS 103(a) ROBERT E. BUSHNELL & LAW FIRM EXAMINER WEDDLE, ALEXANDER MARION 

3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review 

Ex Parte Davis et al 11086943 LORIN 103(a)/101 37 C.F.R. § 41.50(b) JACKSON WALKER LLP EXAMINER AUGUSTIN, EVENS J 

AFFIRMED-IN-PART 

1700 Chemical & Materials Engineering 

Ex Parte Butzer et al 11062777 HASTINGS 103(a) Mr. Edward J. Timmer EXAMINER D'ANIELLO, NICHOLAS P 

2100 Computer Architecture and Software 

Ex Parte Heikes et al 11021009 HUGHES 103(a) FISH & RICHARDSON P.C. EXAMINER TAKELE, MESEKER 

2400 Networking, Mulitplexing, Cable, and Security 

Ex Parte Park 10377746 DIXON 103(a) SUGHRUE MION, PLLC EXAMINER STRANGE, AARON N 

3600 Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security, and License & Review 

Ex Parte Eisenberg et al 09974321 LORIN 103(a)/101 37 C.F.R. § 41.50(b) 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY EXAMINER BUCHANAN, CHRISTOPHER R 

According to current Office policy, computer programs per se are not considered patentable subject matter under §101, as they are in themselves purely non-functional descriptive constructs. See U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, Interim Examination Instructions for Evaluating Subject Matter Eligibility Under 35 U.S.C. § 101, Aug. 2009, at 2, available at http://www.uspto.gov/patents/law/comments/2009-08-25_interim_101_instructions.pdf. Also see MPEP § 2106.01 (I), citing In re Warmerdam, 33 F.3d 1354, 1361 (Fed. Cir. 1994). 

Warmerdam, In re, 33 F.3d 1354, 31 USPQ2d 1754 (Fed. Cir. 1994) . .2106, 2106.01, 2106.02 

Ex Parte Foster et al 09931123 LORIN 101/103(a) SCHIFF HARDIN, LLP EXAMINER FELTEN, DANIEL S 

Patentable weight need not be given to descriptive material absent a new and unobvious functional relationship between the descriptive material and the substrate (here the system). See In re Lowry, 32 F.3d 1579, 1582-83 (Fed. Cir. 1994). In re Ngai, 367 F.3d at 1338. See also, Ex parte Mathias, 191 Fed. Appx. 959 (CCPA sic [Fed. Cir.] 2006). 

Lowry, In re, 32 F.3d 1579, 32 USPQ2d 1031 (Fed. Cir. 1994) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2106.01 

Ngai, In re, 367 F.3d 1336, 70 USPQ2d 1862 (Fed. Cir. 2004) . . . . . . . . . . 2106.01, 2112.01